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MousePad Networking is dedicated to providing service to home and small business users. Specializing in PC hardware, Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, virus and spyware removal, and small networks, we are focused on providing quality service at reasonable prices. We offer PC setup and repair, Microsoft Windows Operating Systems installation and maintenance, and home & small office network setup & consulting.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Microsoft is in the final
phase of preparation ahead of the July 29 launch date for the next big update
to its marquee software.

·by Don Reisinger @donreisinger

July
6, 2015 7:26 AM PDT Updated: July 6, 2015 8:13 AM PDT

The
updated Start button layout in Windows 10: one of many improvements coming on
July 29.Nick Statt/CNET

Microsoft keeps wending its way past the
mile markers en route to getting Windows 10 out to the public on time.

The software titan is putting the finishing
touches on the operating system software and will finalize its prerelease
development by July 10, The Verge is reporting,
citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. This version
of Windows 10, called
"release to manufacturing," will then be sent to PC makers to be bundled
into their products.

Windows 10, which is slated to launch on July 29, is
Microsoft's big opportunity to make up for the missteps of Windows 8, which
arrived three years ago. While Windows overall remains the dominant force in
desktop operating systems, running on over 90 percent of computers worldwide, according to
NetMarketShare, Windows 8 dramatically failed to catch on with
consumers and businesses -- it has mustered just 13 percent market share
worldwide, far behind the 61 percent share for Windows 7 and just barely ahead of the now
ancient Windows XP.

The issues with Windows 8 were numerous,
ranging from Microsoft's design choice, called Metro, to a steep learning curve
for those used to the old days of Windows. Windows 8 also came as consumers and
business users were increasingly attracted to tablets and smartphones, which
typically ran either Apple's iOS software or Google's Android.

With Windows 10, Microsoft is looking to
make amends. The Start button is back and the design a bit more traditional,
while CEO Satya Nadella has made clear that Microsoft is a "mobile-first
(and cloud-first)" company that will allow for Windows 10 to run on
multiple device types without sacrificing features. There's also a new browser,
called Edge, to replace the decades-old Internet Explorer, as well as a more
robust version of Cortana, Microsoft's voice-enabled digital software
assistant.

To boost adoption, Microsoft will offer free upgrades to customers currently
running Windows 7 and Windows 8 -- a first for the company. Microsoft
has even softened its stance in its longstanding battle with pirates, saying
that any pirated copy of Windows can beupgraded to Windows 10 free of charge.

While Microsoft seems to be on pace for a
July 29 launch, the company cautioned last week that the rollout could be slow going. The first
to get the high-stakes update to the company's marquee software will be those
who have been helping Microsoft get the kinks out of Windows 10, working
through the Windows Insider program that
went into effect last October.

Then things will progress "in waves,
slowly scaling up after July 29th," Microsoft said in a blog post that
hinted at fine-tuning of the software yet to come. "Each day of the
rollout, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all Windows 10
users."

That's for those who will be upgrading
computers already in their possession. The release-to-manufacture (RTM) version
of the software will be going into new hardware getting ready to go on sale.

Microsoft itself has yet to say when its operating
system will hit the RTM phase, but in the past, the company has announced the
milestone on its site.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Many consumers receive a variety of unsolicited commercial e-mail (also known as "spam") in their offices or at home. While people don't always like getting spam, much of it has a legitimate business purpose. Unsolicited e-mails, however, are often the initial means for criminals, such as operators of fraudulent schemes, to contact and solicit prospective victims for money, or to commit identity theft by deceiving them into sharing bank and financial account information.

The following information, e-mail addresses and contacts noted below are provided for your reference if you have received a particular type of unsolicited email and would like to report or forward it on to law enforcement authorities.

An increasing volume of spam consists of e-mail from a person who represents himself or herself as having some African affiliation, and who is soliciting you to help him or her transfer illegally obtained or questionable funds out of a nation in Africa. (Some more recent e-mails purport to involve moving money out of Afghanistan.) These solicitations are fraudulent, and may violate one or more federal criminal laws.

If you want to report other possible online crime, including online fraud (for example, "get-rich-quick" schemes or online auction fraud) whether or not you have lost money, please use theICCC's online complaint form.

Other Types of Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail

For more information about reporting unsolicited e-mail that does not fall into any of the above categories, see the Federal Trade Commission'sSpam E-mail web site.

To file a complaint about a violation of the National Do Not Call Registry or to register your telephone number on the Registry, please go towww.donotcall.gov.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Do not be tricked by messages from different programs on the screen prompting to scan your computer. Know the name of your installed Anti-Virus software (AVG, Symantec/Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, Sophos, Webroot, etc.)

2. Do not click on ads that you see on websites

Often, a website that you trust can be compromised to display messages to the side (or even pop up) that tell you that your computer is running slow or that you could be infected with SpyWare. Clicking on these links could result in AdWare, Fake Anti-Virus programs or other types of MalWare being installed on your computer.

3. Try to avoid installing "special" viewers in order to play certain videos that you find online

Most videos require Adobe Flash Player (www.adobe.com), Adobe ShockWave Player (www.adobe.com), Java (www.java.com) or Microsoft Silverlight (www.microsoft.com) to view them. If you are prompted to install another viewer or to update one of these viewers, go directly to the publisher's site to get the installation/update (do not allow the video to install it.

4. Remember "Nothing is Free"

Everything has a price. If you are downloading free software or digital content (music, videos, movies,…), be sure to scan it with your Anti-Virus software before attempting to install/play it. If an installation is required, please read each screen before accepting wwhat is being requested (many times, you are agreeing to receive ads for daily deals, share your personal information or even give control of your Internet browsing to additional programs that will also be installed).

5. Use a reputable source to acquire software/content

Purchase your security and performance tuning software from a retailer that you trust, consult with a professional and see what they recommend or do some research and see what objective people are saying.

6. Do not be extorted by fake Anti-Virus programs

There are some so-called "free" security scans out there that have been know to block access to all of your files unless you pay to "activate" their premium features. Do not pay a "ransom to get your files back (are you really comfortable giving them your credit card information?).